Dr Agarwal's plans Rs 400-cr spread

Chennai-based eye hospitals chain, Dr Agarwal's Eye Hospitals, is planning to open 60 more centres across the globe with an investment of around Rs 400 crore in the next two years. The company operates 60 centres in six countries.

"We are planning to open a hospital in every 12 days," Amar Agarwal, chairman and managing director of Dr Agarwal's Eye Hospitals, said, adding the investment would be made through internal accruals and other sources.

The company would start the expansion activities from June-July this year, and the new centres would come up in states like Gujarat, Maharashtra, Punjab and New Delhi. It currently has presence in Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh, besides centres in some of the northern states.

Also, the company would expand its overseas presence from the current seven centres to around 20 centres in future. Dr Agarwal's has presence in Mauritius with two facilities, and one each in Seychelles, Madagascar, Nigeria, Rwanda and Mozambique.

Stating that the company would open eye hospitals in Malaysia and Tanzania, he said the hospital had been seeing huge potential for eyecare treatment facilities in African countries where blindness was prevalent and low-cost quality treatment was not available.

The hospital has also recognised opportunities for medical tourism in Chennai, which is a hub of low-cost and high-quality healthcare and eyecare facilities. The treatment cost in Chennai is almost one-tenth of the cost in countries like the US, while the quality here is on a par with international standards, he said, adding the company was expected to post revenues of Rs 350 crore next year.